The present disclosure relates to a 3-dimensional operation input apparatus for operating a GUI (Graphical User Interface), a control apparatus for controlling the GUI in accordance with information output from the input apparatus, a control system including those apparatuses, and a control method.
Pointing devices, particularly a mouse and a touchpad, are used as controllers for GUIs widely used in PCs (Personal Computers). Not just as HIs (Human Interfaces) of PCs as in related art, the GUIs are now starting to be used as an interface for AV equipment and game devices used in living rooms etc. with, for example, televisions as image media. Various pointing devices that a user is capable of operating 3-dimensionally are proposed as controllers for the GUIs of this type (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 listed below).
Patent Document 1 discloses an input apparatus including angular velocity gyroscopes of two axes, that is, two angular velocity sensors. Each angular velocity sensor is a vibration-type angular velocity sensor. For example, upon application of an angular velocity with respect to a vibrating body piezoelectrically vibrating at a resonance frequency, Coriolis force is generated in a direction orthogonal to a vibration direction of the vibrating body. The Coriolis force is in proportion to the angular velocity, so detection of the Coriolis force leads to detection of the angular velocity. The input apparatus of Patent Document 1 detects angular velocities about two orthogonal axes by the angular velocity sensors, generates, in accordance with the angular velocities, a signal as positional information of a cursor or the like displayed by a display means, and transmits it to a control apparatus.
Patent Document 2 discloses a pen-type input apparatus including three (triaxial) acceleration sensors and three (triaxial) angular velocity sensors (gyro). The pen-type input apparatus executes various operations based on signals obtained by the three acceleration sensors and the three angular velocity sensors, to thus calculate a positional angle of the pen-type input apparatus.
Because the pointing devices of these types are operated 3-dimensionally, hand movements become a problem. For correcting hand movements, there is means for removing, from output signals of sensors that detect an operational movement of a user, a frequency corresponding to the hand movement using a band limiter (see, for example, Patent Document 3). Patent Document 3 discloses an example where the band limiter removes frequencies ranging from 0.5 to 15 Hz, for example.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2001-56743 (paragraphs [0030] and [0031], FIG. 3)
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3,748,483 (paragraphs [0033] and [0041], FIG. 1)
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 07-28591 (paragraphs [0060] and [0062])
However, in a shake frequency area, for example, because the band limiter has lowpass filter characteristics, a phase delay (response delay) of an output signal with respect to an input signal occurs. When a phase delay occurs, a pointer moves on a screen following a movement of the input apparatus such as a pointing device, which is awkward for the user.
Moreover, there are cases where a degree of hand movements differs between a case where the user moves the pointing device speedily and a case where the user moves the pointing device slowly.
In view of the circumstances as described above, it is desired to provide an input apparatus, a control apparatus, a control system, a control method, and a handheld apparatus that are capable of correcting an output signal when a hand movement is input to the input apparatus and with which a user does not feel a phase delay.